Combination floor extender and loading ramp

Abstract

A slidably moving floor attachment for elongating the cargo area of a vehicle which may be further extended with the rear portion lowered to the ground forming a ramp. In the partially extended position the exposed floor is used to carry cargo while the unexposed portion contained in a housing is the weight bearing factor. This may be an aftermarket device attached to the top portion of a vehicle floor or built into the floor structure. The rearward extending floor panel used in a vehicle with dual horizontally hung doors in an open position may serve as the sides of the newly formed cargo area. A hinged rear gate attached to the rear portion of the floor panel and stowed in a locked position under the floor panel may swing to a vertical position and lock to the vehicles doors to form exterior walls of the newly formed cargo area.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 60 / 669,996, filed Apr. 11, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.BACKGROUND [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The invention relates to a vehicle floor extender, extending the cargo carrying area of a vehicle in a first position and a loading ramp to facilitate the easy loading and unloading of a vehicle in a second position. [0004] 2. Background Description [0005] Numerous devices have been developed which attach or enhance a truck or van cargo area A number of devices attach to pickup truck beds for the purpose of extending the cargo area or as aids in loading or unloading the cargo area. While these devices solve particular problems associated with extended cargo area, they all lack an ability to provide an attachment which not only provides additional cargo space, but also provides a ramp for easy loading of the cargo area. [0006] Therefore t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an attachment unit for a vehicle which attaches to the floors of a vehicle and elongates the cargo area, and further a ramp to provide a device that is easily attached to the vehicle which can be unlatched, extended, and lowered to the ground for easy loading and unloading of the vehicle cargo area.

Problems solved by technology

While these devices solve particular problems associated with extended cargo area, they all lack an ability to provide an attachment which not only provides additional cargo space, but also provides a ramp for easy loading of the cargo area.

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